I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

As night deepened, a troop of silver-armored knights escorted a carriage at high speed along the official road leading to the Elven Royal Court.

Horse hooves crushed fallen leaves, wheels rolled over gravel, and occasionally stumps of trees that had been felled and then regenerated by elven magic swept past the carriage windows, leaving blurry shadows.

Anna sat in the carriage, a stack of secret documents she had brought from the church beside her, her gaze falling on the scar-like interplay of light and shadow outside the window.

She was sent on a mission to the Elven royal court. The closer she got to the Elven territory, the more severe the damage to the vegetation became. But along the way, countless new shoots sprouted from the scorched earth—the life magic of the Elven race was trying its best to repair the wounds.

The voice of the knight captain came from outside the car window, "Deacon Anna, Silvermoon Outpost is just ahead."

"Go straight into the city. I need to see the elven nobles in charge of this battle as soon as possible."

The carriage passed through an archway formed by ancient trees growing naturally, entering the border fortress of the Elven Kingdom.

The city was sparsely lit, and the patrolling elven guards, clad in rattan armor, moved with light and silent steps.

The carriage came to a stop in front of a stone palace covered in ivy. Anna stepped out and looked up to see a person standing on the steps.

His long, dark brown hair was blown by the night wind, his amber eyes gleamed in the moonlight, and a longbow was slung over his back, the bowstring shimmering with a silvery light in the darkness.

Legolas, former archer of the Hero Squad.

The elf's voice was as calm as ever, but Anna detected a barely perceptible sigh within it. "Anna, you've come."

"Legolas." Anna stepped forward quickly, and the two exchanged a glance without further pleasantries.

The former members of the brave squad are now noble generals stationed on the border by the Elven Royal Court.

"Let's go inside and talk."

Inside the stone hall, a sheepskin map was laid out on a long table, with the harassment routes of small demon troop groups marked on it in red ink.

Legolas stood in front of the map, pointing to several locations that were repeatedly marked.

"The demons' recent actions seem more like they are searching for something than conquering cities and seizing territories. After the Goddess of Life stopped manifesting in the world, one of our elven demigods disappeared with her. These places are where she is said to have walked in the mortal world, which is exactly what the demons are looking for."

Anna was silent for a moment, about to speak, when a sharp cry suddenly came from outside the window. A silver-white magical messenger, no bigger than a palm, pierced through the barrier and landed precisely on Anna's shoulder.

Anna took the secret letter from the messenger's feet, unfolded the parchment, and the firelight cast flickering shadows on her face.

"What's wrong?" Legolas asked.

Anna looked up, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"The Holy Sword has been pulled out. The church's letter says that a new hero was born yesterday at dusk, and he is called the 'Hero of Strength.' That person uprooted the entire Holy Mountain with his bare hands and carried it away."

Legolas raised an eyebrow slightly, even his usual elf composure was starting to crumble.

"...Carrying a mountain?"

Anna folded the secret letter and put it in her sleeve. "The letter also says that he will be going to the Elven Court shortly after the Day of Revelation. We need to prepare in advance."

……

The next day, Elena was curled up in bed, her long, light golden hair scattered on the pillow, her sleeping face peaceful, with a faint smile on her lips.

She's bad at games but loves to play. Last night, she was clearly exhausted but still stubborn. In the end, she begged for mercy and went to sleep, where she slept very soundly.

Finally, Elena reached out from under the covers, groped around haphazardly, and touched Ji Tian's arm. She snuggled against it as if finding a source of warmth, mumbling indistinctly, "...What time is it?"

It's noon.

"Noon?!" Elena suddenly opened her eyes, meeting Ji Tian's calm gaze.

He was already dressed and sitting cross-legged on a futon by the bed. A sacred mountain, taller than a person, floated in front of him. Golden runes flowed in his palm, refining the last few sharp edges into smooth and warm surfaces.

Elena stared at the small mountain for a few seconds, then rubbed her eyes. "Still refining the sacred mountain?"

"Hmm, almost done." Ji Tian casually flipped the sword over, grabbed the hilt of the other sword, stood by the bed and lightly swung it twice. "Tomorrow is the Holy Revelation Day, so I should go back to the village today. This time, I will return as a hero."

Ji Tian had his own reasons for doing this: he had never told the two elders that he was cultivating immortality, because even if he did, they wouldn't understand and it would only cause them more worry. It would be better to say that he had become a hero, so that he could have a reason to extend their lives in the future.

Elena was taken aback. "Connected to the Holy Mountain? Won't that scare the villagers?"

"I guess so."

After a quick tidying up, Ji Tian took her hand and stepped into the void.

Under the old locust tree at the village entrance, several elderly people were basking in the sun and chatting, while children chased a tabby cat through the alley.

A thin crack appeared in the space, and Ji Tian led Elena out through it.

"Ji, Ji Tian?! Your clothes..."

Ji Tian was wearing a set of light silver-white armor today. It was a replica made from his memory. The real standard armor of a hero would be delivered in a while along with the official hero's nameplate. The armor was engraved with simple patterns, and a holy sword hung at his waist. The Heaven-Turning Seal had been shrunk to its smallest size and transformed into a scabbard.

To the villagers, this outfit was the standard attire of a "warrior".

Old John tentatively asked, "Could it be a hero?! The kind of hero who can fight the demon king?"

"Hmm," Ji Tian replied succinctly.

The old village chief was so excited that he kept tapping his cane on the ground, and even started thinking about changing the village's name. "Good lad! Our village has actually produced a hero!"

The news quickly spread throughout the entire village.

Upon hearing the news, Ji Tian's mother ran out of the house, hugged her son tightly, and then showered him with concern. His father, Old Jack, stood by and smiled without saying a word.

A few chubby-cheeked children squeezed through the crowd, looking up at the hero's badge on Ji Tian's waist with eyes full of admiration.

"Brother Ji Tian, ​​have you really become a hero? You used to always be the evil dragon, but now that you're a hero, won't you be able to defeat the evil dragon?" one of the bolder children asked.

Ji Tian looked down at the group of little guys and remembered that when he was a child, he had also played the role of the evil dragon and the demon king at the village entrance, chasing the "hero team" that was much older than him all over the village.

He crouched down to be at eye level with the other person. "No. Because when I was a dragon, I defeated all the heroes. Now that I'm a hero, I won't lose either."

The children gasped in amazement and jumped and danced around him.

The mother beckoned Ji Tian home, took Elena's hand, and led her into the house. She looked Ji Tian up and down, becoming more and more satisfied with him. "Girl, you've lost weight again. Has Ji Tian bullied you? If he dares to bully you, tell your aunt, and I'll deal with him."

Elena smiled and shook her head. "No, he's very good to me."

"That's good, that's good."

The mother pulled Elena into the house to chat, while Ji Tian helped his father tidy up the yard. He checked the thatched roof and the yard wall again. He had already fixed everything that needed fixing last time he came, so there really wasn't much to do this time.

Ji Tian sat under the jujube tree in the yard, and his father moved a small stool to sit opposite him. The two looked at each other in silence for a moment.

"You became a hero?"

"Um."

"Is it dangerous?"

"It's not dangerous."

"That's good."

Just then, the mother politely declined Elena's offer to help with the cooking, came out of the house, and called to Ji Tiandao, "Take Elena for a walk around the village first, and we'll call you when it's time to eat."

Ji Tian responded and took Elena's hand as they walked along the path behind the village.